Behind the Scenes: The M-wait, that something else
by Mirage DeDreamer
Summary: CHAPTER 3 NOW UP! The saga (if you wanna call it that) continues. Kinda short but more or less entertaining. More snags in Dib's quest to find out which of the Nicktoons is controlling Nickelodeon, and Zim gets a new ally(sp?). Now that I've practically g
1. A Normal Day on the Job

Author's Note: Welcome to Behind the Scenes: The Musical… oh wait, that was something else

Author's Note: Welcome to Behind the Scenes: The Musical… oh wait, that was something else. Well anyway, I know I have about * counts on fingers* 3 possibly 4 other fics to finish but I just had to write this. I promise I will finish this fic and all my others!

Ryan: *sarcastically * Oh well that's believable. 

De: Don't question! Just read and review!

"Your mine ZIM!" yelled Dib brandishing one of his latest gadgets.

"Foolish human stinkbeast! You will never defeat an Irken Elite!" responded Zim, leaping atop a garbage can and out of Dib's reach. Dib fired his gadget and sent Zim flying from his perch. Cackling evilly he advance on the alien.

"I repeat; your mine ZIM!" 

"Not so fast stinkbeast," said Zim, pulling yet another ray gunny thingy and firing a net like thing at Dib. The net wrapped around the human boy rendering him unable to use his own gadget. "Pitiful human," muttered Zim climbing to his feet. "No one will notice if I just dispose of you now."

Dib frantically twisted inside his bonds and managed to get his arm free. Grabbing his laser he managed to melt the rest of the webbing. Then he had to dive out of the way as Zim fired at him. Unlike so many other fights Dib and Zim had had in the past the Irken invader had come prepared. Dib quickly decided that this was not the place for a shoot out. Dodging yet another attack he turned and ran. Usually running did not sit well with Dib but this time he made an exception. He headed down the street and towards the skool at full speed. 

Down the street a little some sort of truck had run into a fire hydrant. Dib saw the puddle… Zim didn't.

The Irken couldn't stop in time and skidded into the puddle. The slippery water causing him to lose his balance and he felt, soaking himself completely. Dib approached laser in hand. Laughing evilly he raised his weapon and prepared to fire. The helpless Invader lifted his arms to shield his face. And then….

"CUT!" yelled Dib. Immediately the back ground music cut out and make-up artists appeared seemingly out of nowhere. 

"No! No cut! Please no cut!" sobbed the director hitting his head against the soundboard repeatedly. 

"Can I get a towel over here?" asked Zim, getting up out of the puddle and limping over to his "special" chair. One of the make-up artists handed him a towel and the Irken Invader gone Television Star toweled himself off. "I swear, all these water scenes are gonna kill me," muttered the Invader as he came across yet another spot where the paste had washed off. "Now can someone please tell me why are we cutting again? Not that I mind getting this horrible liquid off me mind you."

"Yes Dib," said the assistant director, the director being deemed temporarily unfit for office.

"What I don't get is why you have me doing all this evil laughter and cowardly tricks; I AM the good guy after all," said Dib crossing his arms stubbornly. 

"WHAT!" yelled Zim jumping up from his chair and stomping towards the human.

"I'll be in my room," said Gaz to the sobbing director. Without looking up from her GameSlave she headed towards her dressing room. 

"Don't act like you didn't know Zim," said Dib smugly.

"I'm going to!" yelled GIR running after Gaz. 

"I'm the star! My names in the title for Irk's sake! It's Invader Zim, not Invader Dib," pointed out Zim.

"Well of course it's not Invader Dib. Look Zim, I'm trying to save the world, logically that makes me the good guy," replied Dib.

"No, it's makes you the pathetic villain that's more in the plot for comic relief than anything else."

"Oh, and like your character's going to win any rewards for brilliance."

"I didn't write the script!"

"Neither did I!"

"Look Dib, you're the villain everyone hates! You have no fans!"

"I do too! I had that convention and all my fans came."

"Wow, both of them?"

"Shut up!"

"Shut up!" 

"Um guys," said the assistant director cautiously.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" yelled Dib and Zim at the same time. 

"CAN WE PLEASE ALL JUST GET BACK TO WORK!" yelled the director. After a couple minutes of silence the director cleared his throat. "Thanks? Now can we please get to work? We have a deadline for these new episodes and we'll never meet it unless we can get through the wrest of the day without any more-" Just then his cell phone went off. "Interruptions… Would you excuse me for a minute?" 

The director took out his cell phone and held a quick conversation. Dib and Zim went back to arguing quietly with each other over who was the good guy and the assistant director talked to the sound effects guy; and all was good and right in the world…then the director fainted.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Zim, more curious then alarmed.

"Must have been the phone," said Dib. The assistant director picked up the phone and rather cautiously put it to his ear.

"Hello? Who is the?" The person on the other end of the phone line said something undecipherable. "WHAT!" yelled the assistant director. Zim and Dib jumped and looked at the assistant director alarmed, the director woke up and looked around.

"Oh phew," said the director. "I was having this nightmare that I was working with this alien and psycho kid and they wouldn't shut up and-" Dib and Zim turned around. "OH MY GOD! IT WASN'T A DREAM! AAHHHHH!" 

"What's his problem?" asked Dib as crewmen rushed to help the hysterical director. Zim just shrugged, he had been wondering that himself.

"You're never going to believe this," said the assistant director hanging up the cell phone. "The network cancelled our show!" It's amazing when you consider how the three people that really cared could have so different feelings. Dib had a cold and numbing feeling of disbelief, and Zim felt boiling hot rage, the director had a warm pleasant feeling of relief.

"HOW DARE THEY CANCEL ZIM!" yelled Zim.

"We have to do something," said Dib. 

"No! No we don't," said the director frantically rushing over to Dib and kneeling down. "Forget this show. Move on and get a job on another planet in another galaxy and live happily ever after. And most importantly NEVER CALL ME AGAIN!"

"But we have to get the show back on for all our fans," protested Dib.

"NO! I have to go fishing!" yelled the director hysterically. The director jumped up and ripped his shirt apart revealing a fishing vest underneath. "I'm gonna catch me some of those bug-eyed carp! Yes indeedy!" The director ran away screaming insanely. 

"What was that all about?" asked Gaz coming up to the stunned group.

"The show's been cancelled and the director went insane," said the assistant director sighing.

"Again?" said Gaz not even bothering to look up from her GameSlave. "Oh well. Wanna go see if we can get that Scary Monkey game you wanted off the Internet?" she asked GIR.

"Yeah!" cried the insane little robot.

"Fine," said Gaz heading back for her dressing room.

"Can we get some chocolate bubblegum freezies too?" asked GIR as he followed her. 

"We're going to do something about this!" proclaimed Dib to no one in particular since everyone but Zim had wondered off. 

"For once I agree with you foolboy," said Zim. "Off to see the network manager!"

End Part 1

Zim: Weren't we supposed to break into song at the end.

Dib: Just skip it. Oh and Mirage DeDreamer doesn't own Invader Zim, if she did Nickelodeon wouldn't have been foolish enough to show that stupid 'Fairly Odd Parents' show instead. 

Zim: Right, we belong heart and soul to the not so stinky human stinkbeast whose name DeDreamer can't spell. Can we have our freedom yet? *looks over at De *

De: Um… sure. But make sure you're back for the next chapter coming out by tomorrow! I promise!


	2. Waiting Room

Author's Note: Well I did post it

Author's Note: Well I did post it. But I'm not sure how good it is. Try and enjoy it anyway. 

~~

"I have a really good feeling that this is the place," said Dib stopping in front of a door marked "Network Manager's Office'. 

"You don't think the signs up there to trick us do you." Said Zim rolling his eyes.

"You don't think that do you?" asked Dib suddenly getting suspicious. Zim sighed and opened the door. 

"Cause they could do that," said Dib following him in. 

The room that they entered was not actually the Network Manager's office but a waiting room. Shiny metal chairs with blue cushions lined the wall and a door at the other end marked the actual entrance the Network Manager's office. A receptionist sat at a desk by the door; she didn't even bother to glance up to look at them. 

"Hello, we're here to see the Network Manager," said Dib walking over to the receptionist.

"Who isn't," replied the receptionist. "Take a seat." She gestured toward a couple of chairs. Zim and Dib shrugged at each other and took their seats. Dib looked around at all the other Nicktoons while Zim shuffled through some year old magazines he found under the chair. 

"Why are you here?" Dib asked the closest Nicktoon, who happened to be Norbert from the Angry Beavers. 

"My brother and I are here trying to get a different time slot. I mean what kind of freak watches TV at 7 in the a.m.?" said Norbert.

"I do," said Dib.

"Yeah well you're obviously the excceeeption," said Norbert.

"Yeah," said Dib. He decided that conversation wasn't going anywhere and looked around some more. Across the room a couple of babies known as the Rugrats held signs that read 'boycotte bedtime'. Carl Foutley sat a few seats away looking awfully suspicious dressed in an oversized coat. The only other person…er people in the room were CatDog. 

"What are you looking at, you freak," said Cat looking up from the magazine he was reading. 

"Nothing," said Dib pressing himself against the chair. Aliens he could deal with, the deranged, poorly animated, Nicktoons were another story. Then again, people said he looked like a bug, so perhaps poorly animated wasn't one of the reasons to be disturbed. 

Daggett had waddled his way over to Zim and was now looking the alien over. "What do you want, you disgusting earthen mammal?" asked Zim. 

Daggett made a couple odd guttural noises. "Yeah, well what's with the green skin? You… you green thingie."

"Now Daggett, you know it's wrong to judge someone by the color of his or her skin," said Norbert climbing out of his chair.

"By grandma's squiggly eyebrow-"

"What?"

"What'd you say?"

"By what?"

"Grandma's squiggly eyebrow."

"Nevermind." 

Dib looked over at Zim only to see the alien as confused as he was.

"He's green Norb! Does that look right to you?" exploded Daggett. 

"Well maybe it's just a skin condition, now go sit down," replied Norbert.

Daggett headed towards his seat grumbling all the way. "Skin condition my frilly underwear."

"You're what?" asked Norbert.

"Nevermind," said Daggett as he climbed back into his chair. 

"I apologize for my dim witted brother," said Norbert. "You see-" Just then the door at the other end of the room opened and out stepped the Network Manager's assistant. 

"I've been told to notify the Beaver Brothers that the restraining order is on, now if you would please leave the waiting room and get back to work. NEVER COME BACK!" yelled the assistant. 

"Gotta love the loyalty," muttered Norbert heading for the exit.

"Tell me about it," replied Daggett. 

They reached the door. Norbert opened it and exited it like any other normal person but Daggett promptly turned around and cleared his throat. Music started in the backgrounds.

"For Pete's sake," muttered Cat as he covered his ears. Dog tied up his ears and whimpered, the RugRats started crying, Zim and Dib groaned, and all the reader's went for the little 'x' button. 

"Once-" started Daggett when Norbert reached through the door, grabbed his snout, and dragged him out, saving all the characters and probably some of the readers from severe hemorrhaging. 

"I hate this job," muttered the Network Manager's assistant as he turned to go back inside the office.

"Wait," said Dib jumping out of his chair. "Can you tell me why Invader Zim was cancelled?" 

"Um…." The Network Manager's assistant flipped through some papers on a clipboard then called someone on his cell phone, flipped through some more papers. "No."

"Listen here you pathetic network slave boy, put my show back on or risk the wrath of the Irken Elite!" threatened Zim, he reached inside his coat for something.

"Fine fine," said the assistant, not to impressed. "All I can tell you is the Network decided your show was not living up to our high standards."

"High standards!" yelled Dib. "Your best selling show features a sponge!" 

"You dare insult the sponge," said the assistant with warning tone.

"Yes," said Zim getting out of his chair. Dib smacked his head. Five minutes later they were wondering around the grounds outside of Orlando Studios. 

"You just had to say yes," said Dib.

"Stay here and rot pathetic human, I have a war to wage," said Zim heading back towards the building. 

"On who?" asked Dib curious.

"A certain sponge must be dealt with," said Zim, a malicious grin spreading across his face. 

Dib watched Zim walk away. "Maybe so," he said to himself thinking. In a matter of seconds he was running to catch up with Zim.

~~~

"Okay, so I couldn't find Zim, I've been kicked out of the building five times, and I just stepped in some gum. Heck, I haven't been doing that bad," said Dib to himself. For the last 20 or so minutes Dib had been wondering aimlessly around the Orlando Studio's complex. Now he found himself in a long, ill-lit, hallway and not to mention utterly lost. 

"Well actually you're doing pretty bad but since you're the only person I've seen for about a week I guess you'll have to do," said a voice. 

"Who's that?" asked Dib looking around. 

"Down here moron," said the voice.

"Hey, aren't you-"

"Quiet, you want to blow my cover?"

"You're disguised at a plant, what kind of cover is that?"

"Better than what you got, kicked out of the building five times. You're pathetic."

"You wanted to tell me something?"

"The Nickelodeon has been taken over by an anonymous Nicktoon."

"Really? Who?"

"What about anonymous don't you understand?"

"Sorry, what do you want me to do about it?"

The bush Dib was talking to gave an exasperated sigh. "Over throw them, restore this network to its former glory."

"It had glory?"

"Well kind of."

"Semi-glory?"

"Fine! Call it whatever you want, just get rid of the idiot incharge of this scandal."

"What scandal?"

"Just get going before you make my head explode."

"Fine. You can count on me."

"Sure, but don't mind me if I wait here for someone else."

"Okay," said Dib jauntily. He waved to the bush as he walked happily down the hall, fully prepared to overthrow whatever vile nicktoon had taken over the station, and return the network to whatever semi-glory it had once had. 

~~~

"Just a little closer sponge, yes that's it. No! Don't eat the PB&J you want turkey!" muttered Zim to himself. He was currently clinging to ceiling beams above the buffet table. Just then SpongeBob changed his mind and went for the turkey sandwiches. "You're mind sponge!" cackled Zim, just before his spider legs lost their grip on the ceiling. Zim plummeted towards the cement floor. Landing, of course, right next to SpongeBob.

"Oh hi Zim, what were you doing up there?" asked the sponge stupidly.

"Dusting for spider webs," said Zim thinking quickly. "You, pitiful earth sponge, have no idea how dirty it gets up there."

"Really? That's awfully nice of you, considering your show was cancelled this morning. In fact… SECURITY!" 

"Curse you Sponge!" yelled Zim as the Security Guards came running. Zim had no choice to retreat. He put out his spider legs and walked up the wall (don't ask me how). He jumped out of the Security Guards line of fire, and landed in the fish tank (you know the one where they keep the talking fish).

End 2

AN: Okay, that sucked and I am totally out of ideas! Next chapter coming out whenever I feel like it. Please review and tell me just how bad it was.


	3. The Alien, The Fish and the Bookcase

Author's Note: Okay, so it's still not my best work

Author's Note: Okay, so it's still not my best work. But I'm still struggling with ideas and my little brother who refuses to leave until I let him play whatever game he wants to play. 

Ryan: * scowls* 

De: I can't write like this! Anyway, I don't own Invader Zim, Nickelodeon, or any other Nicktoons mentioned in this fic. Enjoy!

~~~

"Okay, so maybe over throwing an evil cartoon overlord is harder than it sounds," said Dib, who was lost yet again. "No leads, no clues, not even a talking bush to tell me what to do. What am I supposed to do? Walk around until a clue hits me in the fa-" said Dib just before he walked into the door marked 'Network Manager's Office'. "Ah hah!" said Dib triumphantly. "Once again my brilliant powers of deduction and… other stuff have saved the day!"

Dib pushed open the door slowly. Of course it creaked loud enough to wake up half the state of Florida and it would have been better if he had just opened it like a normal person, but then again that wasn't really Dib's style. Well, half of Florida must have suffered from chronic ear infections because no one came running down the hall to sound the alert. 

"Well that went well," said Dib closing the door behind him. The waiting room was dark. The receptionist had gone home like all the other normal people in the world and left the room entirely unguarded. Cautiously Dib approached the door to the Network Manager's actual office and pulled out a strange gadget. Dib, being a Nicktoon and therefor being allowed no social life what so ever, spent his free time creating gadgets out of normal everyday things you could find around a TV studio (whatever junk that may be). To make a long story short, Dib basically blew up the lock and pushed the door open. Never knowing that some idiot had forgotten the lock the door earlier. 

The Network Manager's office was fairly ordinary. One of those oversized desks that principal's love so much, a couple of overly padded (though much shorter than the desk) chairs, and a large bookshelf. Dib decided that the desk would be the best place to start, but the bookshelf was closer; so of course he went for the bookshelf. 

Dib examined the books for a minute and then pulled out the one with the least dust, and in a burst of unoriginality the bookshelf slid back revealing a secret passage. Much like the secret passage behind the bookshelf in Myst, only that these were going down and there was no red carpeting. The evil-greedy-brothers-who-will-get-away-in-the-end-no-matter-what-you-do villains weren't there either but that's an entirely different bad plot all together. Anyway, it will suffice to say Dib found a secret passage, entered it, and effectively disappeared out of the story for the next paragraph or so.

~~~ Now to check up on Zim

Zim slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was locked in a small dark cell…with a fish. The "talking" fish from the Summer Splash had been put in a small tank, placed on a table-like thing with wheels, and locked up with Zim; all for being accused of harboring a traitor. 

"The enemy has captured me and locked me away in this cell with a fish," said Zim, effectively repeating everything the author had just said. "No matter, no cell on this pitiful planet can hold an Irken Elite!" Zim activated his backpack and immediately a laser and protective eye wear were provided. In next less time than it took to type this sentence Zim had cut a hole in the wall.

"There, now all I have to do is escape," said Zim triumphantly. He looked back at the fish. "I suppose you want to come pathetic earth creature.

"…." While the "talking" fish was unusually intelligent for a fish talking wasn't actually one of his abilities. In fact his most developed skill was opening his mouth very wide so that the TV people who make the Summer Splash commercials can dub in the voice.

"Pleading will do you know good pitiful fish, I care about no earth creature," said Zim grandly. 

"……" 

"Fine, you can come. Just stop that incessant whining." Zim climbed through the hole and pulled the cart carrying the fish in after him. "Let us hurry and escape from the foul place….er what will I call you?"

"……" 

"Fishy it is then. Come Fishy, we must be on our way." So the unlikely pair started off together on their grand escape. Well actually all they did was cut a couple holes in some walls, but you get the point.

~~~ Back With Dib

From his position on a convenient catwalk Dib had a view of the entire room below. The room wasn't particularly decorated, just your average hidden evil head quarters look. But the room wasn't really what Dib was interested in, he was paying more attention to the people assembled in the room. 

Obviously the person incharge was SpongeBob, of course the sponge would be the one to take over the building. Who but a couple of authors from FFN would suspect the sweet, innocent looking, sponge of something like this? But joining the sponge was the cast of Rock's Modern Life (who will never appear in this fic again), the Greasers from CatDog, even a few members of the Hey Arnold Cast. Dib had no idea how wide spread the evil Nicktoon's organization was. Well he'd just have to get rid of all of them. He made his hands into fists, and promptly lost his grip on the railing and plummeted towards the floor. 

End Part 3

AN: I know that was short but I'm still recovering from chapter 2. More nicktoons in the next chapter I promise. More action too. This fic is far from over. Please r/r.

Coming Up: Chapter 4: The Sponge Must Go!


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